As of April 2025, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of at least seven million people globally. The true toll is likely even higher, as many countries have stopped reporting reliable data. Without clear data, it can feel like the pandemic is behind us—but that perception is far from reality. For disabled people and those living with long COVID, the crisis is ongoing. COVID remains a serious, disabling, and deadly threat.
This week on rabble radio, rabble.ca’s Jack Layton Journalism for Change fellow Ashleigh-Rae Thomas spoke with Fatima Adam about what COVID realism is and how it’s connected to disability justice.
Links mentioned in this interview:
- How To Talk To Your Loved Ones About Covid
- Crip Crash Course by Sins Invalid
- I Don’t Know How To Explain To You That You Should Care About Other People (Kayla Chadwick, Huffpost, 2017)
Relevant episodes to cue up after this one!
- Disability justice is the antithesis of capitalism on rabble radio
- What does disability justice look like in the workplace? on rabble radio
About our guest
Fatima Adam (she/her) is a Toronto based writer, arts administrator, and facilitator, with a focus on disability justice and COVID realism.
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